Welcome back to my guide for how you should draft this fantasy football season to prove to all of your friends you are truly the best man in your friend group. And how do you do that? You win your fantasy football league and shove it in all of your faces. If you haven't check out my previous article you should definitely look at that first and come back here to get the most out of your drafting experience!
In the prequel o this article I gave a few basic tips that we are carrying over from last season, such as draft for value over positional needs and complete mock drafts as much as possible. These are well known even amongst the casual fantasy-footballers. I also gave out a few of my sleepers for this season including Tom Brady, Miles Sanders and Albert Okwuegbunam. All of these guys are going in the 5th round or later and could prove to be top-10 or as high as top-5 in their respective positions.
Today we're going to focus more on situational drafting and some of the best value picks in each round and in each position. That being said let's get right into my next set of tips!
2022 Tips Part 2
1. Draft Running Backs Early: Now I get that this is a direct contradiction from my "Value over Position" mindset I've hammered in these articles but hear me out. The drop-off of "roster-worthy" running backs is early this year, around the 80th pick. Especially when compared to WR's of the same qualification which is closer to the 120th pick. If you have a decision to make on the fly, draft a running back.
2. Draft 3 Running Backs by Round 6: Going along with my last tip, running backs will fly off the board this year as they do every year. Having a reliable stable of RB's is so important especially in 2 RB starter leagues. WR and QB's are still available Round 7 and beyond so do your best to prioritize them when you can.
3. Draft a TE in rounds 3 through 6: The list of TE's that should be available in this range is Pitts, Kittle, Waller, Schultz, Goedert and Hockenson. All 6 players will get 100 targets this season and are the 2nd best option on teams that tend to rely on their safety net TE, with the exception of Pitts who will be the #1 option.
4. Draft a QB based on Team Success: I've seen it happen every year, a rising QB is placed highly on fantasy ranks but is on a rebuilding or middling team and ends up stalling towards the middle and end of the season. Drafting a player like Brady or Rodgers won't result in rushing stats, but their numbers will be right up there or better than the Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray's at the end of the season.
5. Don't draft a Kicker: I told you to draft a defense and kicker in the last two rounds last article but I'm switching that up. I almost included Defense/ST in this distinction but there are 5 or 6 defenses that are draftable like the Steelers and Bills that will be played every week. However the rest of the league can be subbed out every week for the best matchup available on the waiver wire. So don't draft a kicker or defense and instead use those two picks for tradable sleepers, combine two picks at the end of your draft for a serviceable round 10 player after drafting.
There are my situational drafting tips this year, and I am very confident in all five and will follow them religiously come drafting for the four leagues I am a part of this year.
As I did in my last article, I will end this one with a couple of sleepers to help those "fantasy hipsters" who like to go against the trend and draft for predicted ceiling instead of respected floor.
2022 Sleepers Part 2
1. Kenny Pickett: ADP 232, QB #28
The first drafted Quarterback in this year's draft has already received praise from coaches and press alike. Pickett should definitely gain the starting job in Pittsburgh and may even do it by season's start. Pittsburgh also has an amazing talent of young skill position players on a consistent offense.
2. Dameon Pierce: ADP 109, RB #41
The same situation as Pickett, a rookie who is suspected to be the starter on his offense as early as week 1. Pierce has had a very strong pre-season and is only competing with Marlon Mack at this point for the job. Pierce's receiving prowess and the Texans' rebuild mentality are also reasons for Pierce to get the most touches at RB.
3. DeVante Parker: ADP 147, WR #61
Parker's move to New England seems to have revitalized his career. He has been the standout WR in Patriots camp and pre-season and will thrive under Belichick's coaching. The amount of mouths to feed in New England isn't as high as some think and Parker may be at the top of that list along with Hunter Henry.
4. Irv Smith Jr.: ADP 132, TE #14
With Tyler Conklin's move to New York, ISJ is now poised to be the #1 TE he was thought of as a first round pick three years ago. Smith got a thumb injury that has been rehabbing nicely and should see him at most miss 1 game to start the season. The Vikings offense has been underrated for a long time now and Smith Jr. will be the best target for Kirk Cousins that won't be getting double teams, while Jefferson, Thielen and Cook will all be heavily guarded opening up a lot of targets for Smith Jr.
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage on the 2022 Fantasy Football season all the way through the NFL season.
-Z.D.
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